Schedule of Classes & Reading Assignments

(All readings on given days are to be completed before you come to class.)

Monday, Jan 22:
First Day of Classes, introduction

Wednesday, Jan. 24:
* Simin Daneshvar, Sutra & Other Stories, "Potshards", "A City Like Paradise", p. 7-84.

Friday, Jan. 26:
* Daneshvar, Sutra & Other Stories, "Anis", "Childbirth", p. 85-130.

Monday, Jan. 29:

* Daneshvar, Sutra & Other Stories, "Bibi Shahrbanu", "Sutra", p. 131-189.

The Qur'an Wednesday, Jan. 31: * Michael Sells, Approaching the Qur’an, pp. 1-42, esp. "The Opening", 41-42. * Vincent Cornell, "Qur’an", pp. 385-394 Friday, Feb 2: *Michael Sells, "Early Surahs with commentary", Approaching the Qur’an, pp. 40-142. * For Persian recitations of the Qur’an, go to the following web-site (You will need ReadAudio): www.salamiran.org/Religion/Quran/part1.ram *to see the Arabic text of the Qur'an posted by the Iranian government, see: www.salamiran.org/Religion/Quran/Quran.html *Be sure to use the CD which is included with the Qur’an book. Monday, Feb. 5: * Sells, *Michael Sells, "Hearing the Qur’an", "Sound, Spirit, and Gender in the Qur’an", Approaching the Qur’an, pp. 145-207. * Film: Qur’an recitation by Abdul-basit.Approaching the Qur'an, p. - Wednesday, Feb. 7 * introduction to Islamic practice in Iran. * Define the basic beliefs and practices of Islam, using this web-site: www.arches.uga.edu/~godlas/

Minature of the Prophet's Mi'raj, Nizami's Khamsa.

Friday, Feb. 9:
* lecture on Adab

Monday Feb. 12:
* Sa'di, The Rose Garden, p. 7-63

Iranian movie: 7 p.m., Persson Aud.

Wednesday, Feb. 14:
* Sa'di, The Rose Garden, p. 64-127

Friday, Feb. 16th: Film shown in class.

Monday, Feb. 19th:
* Sa'di, The Rose Garden, p. 128-188

Wednesday, Feb. 21:
* Sa'di, The Rose Garden, p. 189-227.

The supreme Persian poet & saint, Rumi   Friday, Feb. 23: * Schimmel, I am Wind, You are Fire, p. 1-50 Monday, Feb. 26: * Schimmel, I am Wind, You are Fire, p. 51-113 February 27th, Concert. Wednesday, Feb. 28 * Schimmel, I am Wind, You are Fire, p. 114-172 * Guest lecture in class: Amir Koushkani in class Friday, March 2: * Schimmel, I am Wind, You are Fire, p. 173-204
	Portrait of Rumi.

Monday, March 5:
* Rumi, The Essential Rumi, p. 1-53

Tuesday March 6^th, Sa'diyya Shaikh talk

Wednesday, March 7:
* Rumi, The Essential Rumi, p. 54-109

Friday, March 9:
* Rumi, The Essential Rumi, p. 110-160

10-18 Sat-Sun Mid-Term Recess

Monday, March 19:
* Rumi, The Essential Rumi, p. 161-224

Wednesday, March 21:
* Rumi, The Essential Rumi, p. 225-296

Friday, March 23:
* Pezeshkzad, My Uncle Napoleon, p. 7-80

Monday, March 26:
* Pezeshkzad, My Uncle Napoleon, p. 81-150

Wednesday, March 28:
* Pezeshkzad, My Uncle Napoleon, p. 151-232

Friday, March 30:
* Pezeshkzad, My Uncle Napoleon, p. 233-316

Monday, April 2:
* Pezeshkzad, My Uncle Napoleon, p. 317-399

Wednesday, April 4:
* Pezeshkzad, My Uncle Napoleon, p. 400-499

Friday, April 6:
* Nizami, The Story of Layla and Majnun, p. 1-55

Monday, April 9:
* Nizami, The Story of Layla and Majnun, p. 55-109

Iranian movie:

Wednesday, April 11:
* Nizami, The Story of Layla and Majnun, p. 110-177

Friday, April 13:
* Roy Mottahedeh, The Mantle of the Prophet, p. 5-68.

[read ahead, next day is heavy]

Monday, April 16:
Film about the Iranian revolution

Wednesday, April 18:
Khomeini lecture?

Friday, April 20:
Open date

Monday, April 23:
* Mottahedeh, The Mantle of the Prophet, p. 69-186

Wednesday, April 25:
* Mottahedeh, The Mantle of the Prophet, p. 187-247

Friday, April 27:
* Mottahedeh, The Mantle of the Prophet, p. 248-336

Monday, April 30:
* Mottahedeh, The Mantle of the Prophet, p. 337-399

Wednesday, May 2:
* Khatami 1

Friday, May 4:
* khatami 2

Monday, January 24^th: First Day

*Introduction, discuss syllabus.

Wednesday, January 26^th: Begin discussion of Savushun.

*Daneshvar, Savushun, pp. 7-108.

Friday, January 28^th: continue Savushun.

* Daneshvar, Savushun, pp. 109-190.
* Extra stuff: Persian Greetings and good-byes.

Monday, January 31^st: End Savushun.

*Daneshvar, Savushun, pp. 191-298.
* Anne H. Betteridge, "Women and Shrines in Shriaz", pp. 239-250. [CP #1]

 

Wednesday, February 2nd: Iranian Geography and Demographics * Daneshvar, Savushun, pp. 299-278. * Film to be shown in class: Be yad-i Iran, Expatrioate Nostalgia. * Web-sites: http://oznet.net/iran/frames3.htm http://www.salamiran.org/IranInfo/General/Geography/ * ( Map Assignment due today (5% of your grade)

Mutual gaze:
Iranian constructions of the West,
Western constructions of Iran.

Friday, February 4^th,

* Edward Said, Orientalism, pp. TBA, [CP #2].
* M. Vaziri, Iran as imagined nation, pp. 65-98, [CP #3]

Musical concert,
Saturday, February 5^th.
7 p.m., The commons

Featuring: Mercan Dede, LuAnne Hightower, and Shankar
Featuring a fusion of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and American spiritual music. What do you get if you cross meditative music with a rave DJ? Come and see!
*Bringing a friend to the concert will earn you increased brownie points.

Attendance at this concert is MANDATORY, and you will be asked to write an analysis of the event.

 Monday, February 7^th: Iranian depictions of the West.

* M.R. Ghanoonparvar, In a Persian Mirror: Images of the West and Westerners in Iranian Fiction, pp. 1-59, [CP # 4]

Wednesday, February 9^th, : European/American takes on Iran:

The transformation of Western characterizations of Iran from the "land of roses and nightingales" to Not without My Daughter.

*F. Jahanpour, "Western Encounters with Persian Sufi Lit.", pp. 28-62, [CP # 5].
* in-class movie: Not Without My Daughter.

Pre-Islamic Iran

Friday, February 11^th: Pre-Islamic history of Iran.

*Zoroastrian Iran, using Diana Eck’s cd-rom On Common Ground.
*Extra stuff: favorite Persian curses
* Look through the following web sources to assess Zoroastrianism:

www.zoroastrianism.com
www.oznet.net/cyrus/cyframe.htm
http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/PA/IRAN/Iran_Gen.html

First Essay, 5 pages (15% of grade), due today:

Check out the following web-pages, produced by Iranians in the Diaspora.

www.persia.org
http://netiran.com/
http://www.persia.net/

Contrast them with the following page, an official page of the Iranian government.

http://salamiran.org

 

Analyze which elements of the Iranian heritage they are packaging to construct their definition of Iran.

In what ways is the construction a "religious" one? What is the time period in history (through images, words, etc) is being appealed to?

What account of the contemporary Islamic republic is provided?

What assessments of religion in general, and Islam specifically, are provided?

The Islamization of Iran: The emergence of a Muslim Persian culture

Monday, February 14^th: The Arab invasions, and transformation of Iranian society; the Shu'ubiyya controversy and modern retrospective "nationalistic" interpretations.

*A. Zarrinkub, "The Arab Conquest of Iran and Its Aftermath", pp. 1-56, [CP #6]

Fundamental poles of religiosity in Islamic Iran:
Shi’ism, and Sufism

Friday, February 25th, The Roots of Shi’ism. * Moojan Momen, "The Imamate", "The 12th Imam", "Doctrines, Ritual Practices, and Social Transactions", pp. 147-184, [CP # 9] Monday, February 28th, The martyrdom of Imam Hossein (Husayn) * S. H. M. Jafri, "The Martyrdom of Husayn", pp. 174-216 [CP # 10]
	Imam Hossien's shrine, In Karbala.

 

Wednesday, March 1st: Shi’ism in popular practice: Ta’ziyeh and pilgrimage * P. Chelkowski, "Ta’ziyeh: Indigenous Avant-Garde Theatre of Iran", pp. 1-11, [CP # 11]. * Sadeq Humayuni, "An Analysis of a Ta’zieyh of Qasem", pp. 12-23, [CP #12]. * Film: O Deer Savior.
	The Shrine of Imam Reza, the 8th Shi'i Imam, in Mashhad.

Friday, March 3^rd: Introducing Persian Sufism

* Leonard Lewisohn, "Overview: Iranian Islam and Persiante Sufism", pp. 11-43, [CP #13].
* Javad Nurbakhsh, "The Key Features of Sufism in the Early Islamic Period", pp. xv-xxxix, [CP #14]

Love poetry: masterpiece of Persian literature Monday, March 20th, the love of Layla and Majnun. * Nizami, The Story of Layla and Majnun, pp. ix-xxi, 1-54. Wednesday, March 22nd, Layla and Majnun, cont. * Nizami, The Story of Layla and Majnun, pp. 54-110. Friday, March 24th, Layla and Majnun, conclusion. * Nizami, The Story of Layla and Majnun, pp. 111-177. * Music: Jalal Zulfunun. ( Second essay due today, by 5 p.m. in religion office)

Second Essay  (20% of your final grade)

A 7 page writing assignment on one of the important thinkers, poets, mystics, or historical figures of Persian culture.

The papers are to utilize the following sources as a starting point:

Index Islamicus, Case Indexes BP161.2 .I64 (and others)

Encyclopœdia Iranica, Case Reference DS 253.E53

Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Case Reference DS 37.E523

The paper needs to be in a research format, complete with footnotes and a bibliography.

Your essay is to highlight their life, major writings, and historical significance.

The approved authors include, but are not limited to:

1. Zartusht [Zoroaster]
2. Cyrus the Great
3. Alexander
4. Rustam
5. Imam Husayn
6. The 12^th imam, al-Mahdi
7. Firdawsi
8. Ibn Sina
9. Baba Taher
10. Abdullah Ansari
11. Omar Khayyam
12. Nizam al-Mulk
13. Abu Sa’id-e Abi ‘l-Khayr
14. Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111)
15. Ahmad Ghazali (d. 1126)
16. Ayn al-Quzat
17. Suhravardi
18. Farid al-Din Attar
19. Rumi (d. 1273)
20. Sa’di
21. Hafez
22. Shah Ni’matullah Wali (d. 1431)
23. Nizami
24. Jami (d. 1492)
25. Amir Kabir
26. Muhammad Reza Pahlavi
27. Dr. Mosaddeq
28. Ali Shari’ati
29. Ayatullah Khomeini
30. President Khatami
31. Abdul-Karim Soroush
32. Forough Farrokhzad

Be sure to include copies of all the articles you have used for this paper when you turn your paper in.

 

 

The Emergence of a Persianate, refined, Islamic "Adab" culture Monday, March 27th, Introducing Sa’di and the Gulistan (Rose Garden) *Sa'di, The Rose Garden, pp. 7-63. *A. J. Arberry, "City of Poets: Sa'di", pp. 112-138, [CP #15]. Wednesday, March 29th, The Rose Garden, cont. * The Gulistan (Rose Garden), pp. 64-135. * Homa Katouzian, "Sufism in Sa'di, and Sa'di on Sufism", pp. 191-203, [CP #16]. Friday, March 31st, The Rose Garden, cont. *The Gulistan (Rose Garden), pp. 135-228. * Court poetry Monday, April 3rd: Persian court poetic tradition * Dick Davis, Borrowed Ware, pp. 11-69. *S. H. Nasr, "Persian Literature", pp. 328-349, [CP #18]. Wednesday, April 5th * Dick Davis, Borrowed Ware, pp. 70-125. Friday, April 7th * Dick Davis, Borrowed Ware, pp. 126-203. * Film: Shahram Nazeri in Concert.

Safavid Iran: Triumph of Shi’ism

Monday, April 10th, Women and politics in pre-modern Iran Wednesday, April 12th, History of Safavids. * Petrushevsky, "The Triumph of Shi'ism in Iran", pp. 302-326, [CP #19]. * Check out the following web pages on Isfahan, the capital of the Safavids http://isfahan.anglia.ac.uk:8200/ * Film (if available): Isfahan of Shah Abbas Friday, April 14th, Religion in Safavid Iran. * Hamid Algar, "Some Observations on Religion in Safavid Persia", pp. 287-293, [CP #20] * S. H. Nasr, "Religion in Safavid Persia", pp. 271-286, [CP #21]

Monday, April 17th, The Pahlavi dynasty * Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, "Westernization: Our Welcome Ideal", "The Eternal Question of Women", pp. 132-160, 217-237. [CP #22] *Film: Iran’s 2500th anniversary celebration.

The Iranian Revolution of 1979: Shi'i Islam as triumphant ideology

Wednesday, April 19^th, The first strikes against the West

* Nikkie Keddie, "World War II and Mosaddeq", pp. 113-141, [CP #23].
* Jalal-e Al-e Ahmad, Occidentosis, pp. 9-44, 112-121, [CP #24]

Friday, April 21^st, The revolutions that didn’t happen: alternate ideologues of the Islamic revolution.

* Mehdi Bazargan, "Religion and Liberty", pp. 73-84, [CP # 25]
* Ali Shari’at, "Humanity and Islam", pp. 187-195. [CP #26]
* The three page summary of your final research paper is due at this time.

 

 

 

Monday, April 24th, The Islamic revolution of 1979, Shi’i ideology personified by Ayatollah Khomeini. * Hamid Algar, "Oppositional Role of the Ulama in Twentieth-Century Iran", pp. 231-257, [CP #27] * Film: God Fights Back. Wednesday, April 26th: Khomeini’s vision and The Islamic Government *Hamid Enayat and Mangol Bayat, "Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhullah Musawi Khumanyi and Wilayat-e Faqih", pp. 332-365. [CP #28] * Khomeini, "Islamic Governement", "The Incompatibility of Monarchy with Islam", "Muharram: The Triumph of Blood over the Sword", pp. 27-54, 200-208, 242-245, [CP #29]

(The research paper, 10-15 pages [not including bibliography], is due at the time of your final exam.

It counts for 30% of your grade, and has to be on a topic pre-approved by the instructor.

The topic can deal with any of the themes covered in class, or any other aspect of the Iranian/Persian culture in Iran or in diaspora.

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